"What's new in London" Tour

"What's new in London" Tour

Resilient 'Friends of the Whitworth' Praised Tour Guide

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NEWSMARCH 12, 2018

"What's new in London" Tour

"What's new in London" Tour

Resilient 'Friends of the Whitworth' Praised Tour Guide

Did unexpected and widespread snow in early March deter the 27 Friends of the Whitworth from embarking on the What’s New in London tour? Certainly not! Nor did the expressed doubts of relations and acquaintances about the wisdom of such a journey. After reassurances from the Tour Operator we set off, dressed warmly and perhaps with a few provisions concealed in bags, as planned and all visits on the programme went ahead. The one person unable to be with us was Jane Brand our Tour Manager/Guide who was prevented by heavy snow from leaving Edinburgh. However, Joan Gem, whose brainchild the trip was, did a splendid job of standing-in for her until assistance arrived in the form of Stephen Szymanski.

Perhaps for the first time ever the coach arriving at Wilmslow Leisure Centre was on time – very few other vehicles were on the road that morning. The Motorway too was eerily free of traffic. The surface was clear but on either side was a wintery landscape.

We arrived at our first destination -Pembroke College, Oxford- ahead of schedule. There we visited the JCR gallery, where the current exhibition was the work of Mary Fedden and her husband, Julian Trevelyan. Most of the pictures on display were owned by the JCR Gallery but some were on loan from other colleges. The Gallery Curator gave us a short talk about the exhibition and the history of the JCR collection, which was established in 1947 by Antony Emery, who became a mature undergraduate at Pembroke following Military Service and imprisonment during WWII.

When we resumed our journey it had, as predicted, started snowing, but this did not present too much of a problem, mainly because there was so little traffic on the motorway.

Our journey to the first destination on Saturday was tinged with sadness when Joan imparted to us the very sad news which she had just received of the death of Richard Jennison. He will be much missed.

Our destination that day was Guildford Cathedral, an Anglican Cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, which was built between 1936 and 1961.In the absence of our original guide, Rosemary Bull imparted some very helpful information on the way. It was a very elegant building combining Gothic tradition and twentieth century construction.

A short drive took us to the Watts Gallery – Artist’s Village. Though icy paths prevented our visiting Limnerslease, the studio and home of Wattsand his wife, an extended time in the Gallery accompanied by Curator Nick Tromans was much appreciated.

On Day 3 Eltham Palace and Gardens proved a very popular destination. The gardens are a delight even at this early time of year. The Palace, one of whose original occupants was the brother of William the Conqueror, and later was much favoured by the Tudors, “was re-created for millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld in the 1920s. Its stunning interiors and furnishings reflect a masterpiece of design and is part showpiece of French Art Deco design and 1930s cutting-edge technology and part medieval royal palace which was the childhood home of Henry VIII. Many of our party found the modern innovation in the Palace – a free audio-visual aid to be helpful and also great fun – the best of its kind was an overheard comment.

Our afternoon visit was to Dulwich Picture Gallery. Designed by Sir John Soane, it is the oldest public art gallery in England, today it is “a vibrant cultural hub hosting some of the UK’s leading exhibitions alongside its Permanent Collection of 17th and 18th Century European Old Masters including Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Canaletto and Poussin”. After a talk by a very knowledgeable guide we had a free-flow period during which there was an opportunity to visit the exhibition of the work of the Canadian Artist, David Milne.

One final event that day was to take in views of London from the viewing platform on the tenth floor of the extension to Tate Modern. The extension which opened in June 2016, was originally named Switch House after the part of the old power station where the new galleries stand, is now the Blavatnik Building named after the USSR-born billionaire oligarch who made one of the largest donations in the Tate’s history.

On Day 4 our first call was to the magnificent building which is the home of the Natural History Museum for a free flow visit. It was impossible to miss Hope, the 25.2 metre long blue whale skeleton, suspended from the ceiling of the Hintz Hall.

Next we crossed Exhibition Road to the V&A Museum where we re-grouped for a short tour with Stephen, which included the 18th Century automaton ‘Tipu’s Tiger’ which had been created for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore; and also a very large Persian carpet displayed in subdued lighting and so fragile that the light level is only raised once an hour for a minute or two. During the free-flow period there was an opportunity to visit the Ocean Liners: Speed & Style exhibition.

As a complete contrast, before returning to the hotel, we had a free-flow visit to the Design Museum which“offers inspiring insights into the world of contemporary design with exhibitions on fashion, architecture, furniture, graphic, product, transport and digital design”.

After this marathon of a day the Tour Guide said how much he admired the group for its members resilience.

On our last day the group was much indebted to the cool head of our driver Andy who, when the coach’s gears failed, in the middle of Richmond High Street, and when it became apparent that the fault was rather serious, was soon instrumental in arranging our transfer via a local coach to Strawberry Hill House for our final visit of the tour. This somewhat quirky house was created and lived in, in the 18th Century, by Horace Walpole. We were escorted round the house by two very knowledgeable guides, whose enthusiasm was infectious. Not long after we had finished a sandwich lunch in the tearoom our replacement coach was ready for the return journey – not too much later than the scheduled time.

Did unexpected and widespread snow in early March deter the 27 Friends of the Whitworth from embarking on the What’s New in London tour? Certainly not! Nor did the expressed doubts of relations and acquaintances about the wisdom of such a journey. After reassurances from the Tour Operator we set off, dressed warmly and perhaps with a few provisions concealed in bags, as planned and all visits on the programme went ahead. The one person unable to be with us was Jane Brand our Tour Manager/Guide who was prevented by heavy snow from leaving Edinburgh. However, Joan Gem, whose brainchild the trip was, did a splendid job of standing-in for her until assistance arrived in the form of Stephen Szymanski.

Perhaps for the first time ever the coach arriving at Wilmslow Leisure Centre was on time – very few other vehicles were on the road that morning. The Motorway too was eerily free of traffic. The surface was clear but on either side was a wintery landscape.

We arrived at our first destination -Pembroke College, Oxford- ahead of schedule. There we visited the JCR gallery, where the current exhibition was the work of Mary Fedden and her husband, Julian Trevelyan. Most of the pictures on display were owned by the JCR Gallery but some were on loan from other colleges. The Gallery Curator gave us a short talk about the exhibition and the history of the JCR collection, which was established in 1947 by Antony Emery, who became a mature undergraduate at Pembroke following Military Service and imprisonment during WWII.

When we resumed our journey it had, as predicted, started snowing, but this did not present too much of a problem, mainly because there was so little traffic on the motorway.

Our journey to the first destination on Saturday was tinged with sadness when Joan imparted to us the very sad news which she had just received of the death of Richard Jennison. He will be much missed.

Our destination that day was Guildford Cathedral, an Anglican Cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, which was built between 1936 and 1961.In the absence of our original guide, Rosemary Bull imparted some very helpful information on the way. It was a very elegant building combining Gothic tradition and twentieth century construction.

A short drive took us to the Watts Gallery – Artist’s Village. Though icy paths prevented our visiting Limnerslease, the studio and home of Wattsand his wife, an extended time in the Gallery accompanied by Curator Nick Tromans was much appreciated.

On Day 3 Eltham Palace and Gardens proved a very popular destination. The gardens are a delight even at this early time of year. The Palace, one of whose original occupants was the brother of William the Conqueror, and later was much favoured by the Tudors, “was re-created for millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld in the 1920s. Its stunning interiors and furnishings reflect a masterpiece of design and is part showpiece of French Art Deco design and 1930s cutting-edge technology and part medieval royal palace which was the childhood home of Henry VIII. Many of our party found the modern innovation in the Palace – a free audio-visual aid to be helpful and also great fun – the best of its kind was an overheard comment.

Our afternoon visit was to Dulwich Picture Gallery. Designed by Sir John Soane, it is the oldest public art gallery in England, today it is “a vibrant cultural hub hosting some of the UK’s leading exhibitions alongside its Permanent Collection of 17th and 18th Century European Old Masters including Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Canaletto and Poussin”. After a talk by a very knowledgeable guide we had a free-flow period during which there was an opportunity to visit the exhibition of the work of the Canadian Artist, David Milne.

One final event that day was to take in views of London from the viewing platform on the tenth floor of the extension to Tate Modern. The extension which opened in June 2016, was originally named Switch House after the part of the old power station where the new galleries stand, is now the Blavatnik Building named after the USSR-born billionaire oligarch who made one of the largest donations in the Tate’s history.

On Day 4 our first call was to the magnificent building which is the home of the Natural History Museum for a free flow visit. It was impossible to miss Hope, the 25.2 metre long blue whale skeleton, suspended from the ceiling of the Hintz Hall.

Next we crossed Exhibition Road to the V&A Museum where we re-grouped for a short tour with Stephen, which included the 18th Century automaton ‘Tipu’s Tiger’ which had been created for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore; and also a very large Persian carpet displayed in subdued lighting and so fragile that the light level is only raised once an hour for a minute or two. During the free-flow period there was an opportunity to visit the Ocean Liners: Speed & Style exhibition.

As a complete contrast, before returning to the hotel, we had a free-flow visit to the Design Museum which“offers inspiring insights into the world of contemporary design with exhibitions on fashion, architecture, furniture, graphic, product, transport and digital design”.

After this marathon of a day the Tour Guide said how much he admired the group for its members resilience.

On our last day the group was much indebted to the cool head of our driver Andy who, when the coach’s gears failed, in the middle of Richmond High Street, and when it became apparent that the fault was rather serious, was soon instrumental in arranging our transfer via a local coach to Strawberry Hill House for our final visit of the tour. This somewhat quirky house was created and lived in, in the 18th Century, by Horace Walpole. We were escorted round the house by two very knowledgeable guides, whose enthusiasm was infectious. Not long after we had finished a sandwich lunch in the tearoom our replacement coach was ready for the return journey – not too much later than the scheduled time.

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